Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to sending notifications to a computing device corresponding to a facility attendant. In particular, examples of the present invention are related to techniques for generating a notification indicating an oversized item and retrieval information related to the oversized item when a mobile computing device corresponding to a user obtains the oversized item.
Background
Shopping facilities are developing applications that allow users to use capabilities of their mobile computing devices to enhance their shopping experience. For instance, these applications can be tailored to deliver promotional information related to products explicitly preferred by the user or related to a purchase history of the user. Components of mobile computing devices are increasingly becoming more advanced, including GPS devices that can monitor and track locations, near field communication (NFC) devices that can transmit and receive radio frequency communications and camera devices that allow the mobile computing device to capture and scan images using dedicated software.
It is known, for example, for mobile computing devices to scan barcodes corresponding to products of interest. For instance, a user may scan a two dimensional barcode to learn a cost offered by a retailer for purchase of the product and compare that cost to other retailers. It is further known, for a user to scan a barcode corresponding to a product the user desires to purchase and store an item indicating the product in an electronic shopping cart. At a point of sale terminal, the user may transmit the item from the mobile computing device and conduct a transaction for the purchase of the product. Accordingly, the conventional checkout process of physically scanning each product at the point of sale is eliminated.
One drawback of allowing a user to scan an item and then purchase the item using a mobile computing device, is that only products the user is able to physically transport to the point of sale terminal, and leave the facility with, can be purchased. For instance, a user may be able to scan a barcode corresponding to a large television; however, due to the size of the television, the user is not able to transport the television by conventional means to a point of sale terminal. With oversized products such as televisions, the user would have to locate a facility attendant to retrieve the oversized product before or after the user purchases the product. Locating facility attendants can be an inconvenience to the user and result in time wasted that the user could have spent shopping.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.